According to this article from Hungary's Népszabadság newspaper, some Hungarians are upset that President Bush, during his visit for the 50th anniversary of the Hungary uprising against the Soviets, failed to mention that at the time, Washington 'abandoned' the country to the Soviets. What's more, some believe America is playing the same role as the Soviets, only this time in Iraq.

About
five hundred people demonstrated against the U.S. President's policies and the
state of affairs they have brought about in Budapest's Freedom Square. The
demonstration was organized by the Civilians for Peace movement.

Philosopher
Gáspár Miklós Tamás, a research professor at the Institute of Philosophy of
the Hungarian Academy, pointed out that in Bush's speech, the American
President commemorated the Hungarian Revolution [], which was crushed by foreign
forces, while under Bush's own leadership the United States has occupied
several countries with military force.

"What
right does Bush have to commemorate the Hungarian Revolution?!" Tamas
asked.

While the
demonstration was going on, the U.S. President delivered his speech atop
Gellért Hill in Budapest, where he drew a parallel between the past half
century of Hungary's history and the struggle that Iraq's new leadership is
facing, according to him.

"We will
continue to help Iraq take its rightful place alongside America and Hungary as
beacons of liberty in our world," Bush said, having earlier placed a bouquet of flowers at the
1956 Memorial in Kossuth Square.

"He
laid a wreath without asking for forgiveness," was the reaction of Tamás Csapody, one of the founders of Civilians for Peace, during a speech
in Freedom Square.

The
previous day, in The Washington Post, Charles Gati voiced the opinion that Bush
should speak openly about America's political motivations during the 1956
Hungarian Revolt []. According to Gati, an American historian of Hungarian descent, the U.S. "abandoned"
Hungary during the 1956 Revolution.

A protest against the visit of President Bush in downtown Budapest, June 22.

Csapody
called it "shameful" that President Bush visited with the approval of
several parliamentary parties.

"It's
shameful that the political elite pay more heed to Washington than
Brussels," he said.

Many
speakers emphasized that American leaders had developed a new ideology to justify
the tactics that they employ to preserve U.S. economic and military
superiority.

For
example, President of the Left Front, Péter Székely, discussed how the September
11 terror attacks afforded Washington the opportunity to step up its
expansionist policies.

Gáspár
Miklós Tamás was more direct on this point: "The whole world is
occupied," he said. The invader is global capitalism, and they will act in
its interest whether through military force or legislation for economic
packages. "Although the majority opposes misery, occupation and
injustice, they remain passive and silent, because they feel that resistance is
futile," reasoned Tamás, adding that the only weapon against this is to
join together.

Other
speakers discussed current economic growth, asserting that it is in vain, as so
few benefit from it.

Endre
Simó of the Hungarian Social Forum, said that as long as there are malnourished
children in Hungary, the government should not be involved in expensive weapons
programs, including the acquisition of Gripen fighters and military radar
equipment.

András
Schiffer, of Protect the Future and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, also
pointed out that in the course of pursuing the War on Terror, the current
Washington government has uprooted the very rule of law that America has led
the world in bringing about.

The head of a defaced statue of Stalin lies on the
ground in Budapest, during the 1956 Hungarian revolt.

Schiffer also
alluded to the fact that the Bush government has ignored a number of
international agreements on environmental protection, not only the Kyoto Protocols,
but also agreements having to do with hazardous waste and biodiversity.

"These
same companies profit from this, as they do from the war," Schiffer
said.

Many
noted that Bush's policies are not as popular at home as they used to be.

"The
logic of war has failed. The world cannot be ruled by a single nation,"
said Csapody, who believes that the U.S. is essentially pursuing the current
war for its own economic interests.

"Now
is the time for a new kind of policy, because only compromise can save the
world," he said.